Research Support OneNil

We are seeking a motivated and creative student to support the execution of a digital marketing campaign for the African Leadership Centre (ALC) at King's College London.

The role offers hands-on experience in digital marketing, content creation, campaign coordination and project management. Ideal for someone with good writing and research skills who is interested in social media, communications, international education, leadership or global development.

Key Responsibilities:

• ⁠Drafting written copy for visual designs and/or captions.
• Creating a content calendar aligned with the strategy we share.
• Coordination with key team members for edits, approvals or any additional material required.
• Drafing visual designs (⁠If the candidate has a grip on Canva and other video editing software)
• Scheduling content across social media platforms.
• Tracking overall engagement, incoming enquiries, paid content performance and assisting in preparing weekly engagement reports.
• Support with tasks related to paid ads (e.g. tracking, engagement, reporting).
• Maintain an organised Drive with all campaign assets.

Current KCL student

• Excellent writing and research skills
• Hands-on communication, organisation and coordination skills
• Project management
• Documentation, engagement tracking and creating reports
• A grip on Canva and MS Office: Excel, Word, Powerpoint, OneDrive
• Social media knowledge, including knowing how to navigate Meta Business Suite and/or other platforms analytics monitoring pages.

Job Summary: 
We're on the lookout for a detail-driven Auxiliary Technician to join the CDN Fly Facility in a pioneering sustainability initiative. This role is at the heart of transforming how we work?by helping us move away from single-use plastic fly vials toward a reusable, zero-waste model. 

Currently, fly vials?used to house and feed research flies?are disposed of after just one use, entering the clinical waste stream and ending up in high-temperature incineration. This not only carries a hefty cost but also significantly contributes to our carbon footprint. 

By transitioning to reusable vials, you'll be part of a groundbreaking effort to slash single-use plastic in our labs, cut down on Scope 3 emissions, and move the Department?and King?s College London?closer to its Net Zero goal. If you're passionate about sustainability and keen to make a tangible impact in research operations, we?d love to hear from you. 

The project will be based in New Hunts House CDN, working with the labs that use the facility and the  technical manager and fly technician to determine a cleaning protocol for fly vials, test the validity of the protocol through microbiology techniques, and determine the effect, if any, of the change on the fruit flies. The student would work with wild type fruit flies to determine their reaction to reused vials that had previously been used for chemical or drug work, and in doing so will learn basic fly maintenance techniques.   

Once the project is complete, the student will have created a protocol for cleaning the glass fly vials, considered the cost of moving to reusable vials, calculated the labour requirements and equipment purchases needed to make this a viable long-term solution, assess current fly protocols and suggest areas where further changes can be made. The assessment will be presented to Technical Managers and PI?s using the facility.   

Responsibilities: 

Facility & Equipment Maintenance: 

Read all relevant literature to the project.

Develop a protocol for cleaning and reusing glass vials. 

Develop a protocol in the case of glass smashing/fly escape.

Validate different decontamination methods (freezing vs autoclaving) and the energy associated with each one. 

Identify equipment which needs to be purchased for the pilot and future transition. 

Collect data on the baseline and after the pilot on the amount of waste saved, energy used and loss of glass vials or H&S issues. 

Collate and present data on the glass pilot project. 

Collect, clean, scrub, and wash Drosophila glass and plastic vials. 

Operate laboratory equipment, including mixing vessels, autoclaves, dishwashers, and other relevant tools. 

Organize and restock vials in trays for reuse. 

Maintain a supply of chemicals and consumables for media preparation. 

Assist in maintaining lab equipment and supplies. 

Support for Research & Experiments: 

Assist with Drosophila-related experimental procedures when required. 

Maintain accurate records of media preparation and fly stock organization. 

Follow strict safety protocols and laboratory procedures. 

undergraduate wet-lab based science degree or actively completing one.

Skills & Qualifications: 

Technical Skills: 

Ability to operate lab equipment (autoclave, dishwasher, mixing vessels). 

Experience with Drosophila or other laboratory animals is a plus. 

Ability to carry out manual handling tasks (e.g., lifting and loading vials into dishwashers/autoclaves). 

Other Attributes: 

Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. 

Presentation skills.

Ability to work independently and within a team. 

Commitment to maintaining a clean and efficient work environment. 

We?re looking for a meticulous and motivated Research Assistant to spearhead a collaborative project between King?s Sustainable Research Team (SRT) and Prof. Corinne Houart?s lab, focused on reducing wastewater in the zebrafish facility. 

Zebrafish facilities, while essential to groundbreaking research, generate significant wastewater due to the need for constant water replacement, which prevents harmful nitrile build-up. This project aims to find innovative, eco-friendly solutions to reduce that waste and rethink water management in aquatic research systems. 

As researchers, we have a responsibility to protect our planet while pushing the boundaries of science. Join us in making meaningful change?both in the lab and for the environment. 

This role involves developing and designing a pilot project with the fish facility (Hodgkin building), E&F, H&S and SRT to redirect wastewater from the zebrafish tanks to an aquaponics system where nitrogen-fixing plants remove the nitrate contamination and allow the water to be recycled. 

Responsibilities: 

Research relevant literature.

Collect baseline data for wastewater in zebrafish facility. 

Liaise with stakeholders in using the facility, estates & facilities, the Hodgkin fly facility and the SRT. 

Research small aquaponic systems appropriate for a pilot project. 

Research plants or other systems which may be appropriate for removing nitrites from the water. 

Identify appropriate space in the zebrafish facility where the aquaponic system can be trialled.  

Collect data during and after the project to understand waste savings.

Present data and costings associated with the pilot and a large scale project in the future. 

An undergraduate degree in a wet laboratory-based science.

Skills & Qualifications: 

Knowledge   

Essential: wet laboratory skills including understanding of zebrafish facilities. 

Desirable: Knowledge of aquaponics, hydroponics and nitrogen-fixing plants.  

Desirable: Knowledge of waste water systems.   

Experience   

Essential: experience of working in a zebrafish facility. 

Essential: experience of collecting and analysing data. 

Desirable: experience using aquaponics/hydroponics. 

Skills   

Essential: able to use their initiative and work independently.  

Other Attributes 

Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. 

Good communication skills